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For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

I can no longer boot into or start an X session. This started since I rebooted system after installing rpm's for mythTV which had tons of dependancies including mysql. I boot to command prompt no problem but if I try to start X, I get this unwelcome screen:

Update of my GuI problem. I gave up and reinstalled Mandrake. Spent 3 days getting it set up as I like. Booted this morning to check email before work and argh, fatal server error - no screens found. Booted with Knoppix cd and googled for my solution and found one that works. It was as simple as:
log in as root and type:

/sbin/modprobe nvidia

logout of root, and log in as user and type:

startx

Hope this may help some other newbies.

What happened to the good old days, when the picture disappeared on the b&w TV a swift slap on the side of the TV fixed it . Maybe they could incorporate that in the next Mandrake release. All in all very pleased with Mandrake 10.

I am having the same problem, and this unfortunately is not working for me.

I ran the NVIDIA .run installer, and everything went fine. No errors or anything. I edited the X86Config-4 file, loading glx and changing "nv" to "nvidia".

I get the same "no monitor" error described above. And even when I change the config file back to the old one with all the original settings, KDE apps are now suddenly crashing (I get the screen with the bomb saying the splash screen or kwrite has crashed when I close it).

Anyone know what I can do? This is what I changed XF86Config-4 to that didn't work:

# File generated by XFdrake.

# **********************************************************************
# Refer to the XF86Config man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# **********************************************************************

Section "Files"
# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together)
# By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of
# the X server to render fonts.
FontPath "unix/:-1"
EndSection

I did an update on Mandrake 10 and could no longer us xserver. I am using the MSI Nforce2 with integrated LAN, GeForce4 and sound. I got the same error lakota did- 'no screens found' . It booted to terminal, instead. I logged in as root and deleted all my XF86Config-4 files (found in /etc/X11) to try and get it to revert to original boot settings- didn't work. I then ran XFdrake and manually set up my video. It worked!! I didn't have to re-install nvidia driver. Upon next boot I inspected it and OpenGL and everything was working. Checked my XF86Config-4 file and it had all the correct settings- no issues (I manually edited my refresh rate- had to customize something, since I was there). Please try running XFdrake as root when getting the XFree86 error 'no screens found'. The module lets you test your settings before quitting to make sure it works. It will either tell you test failed or upon correct settings, it will display the color pallette, full screen and ask if it is correct. My settings were: GeForce4 (generic), 1024x768 24bit, Xfree set to 'nv'.

There's one problem with your solution--you said you were using the "nv" drivers which are the standard non-accelerated ones. "nvidia" are the ones you want and that don't work.

Anyways, I tried the suggestions above, adding nvidia to the modprobe.conf, adding NvAGP 3 and reinstalling the drivers. I even later installed the kernel source and tried reinstalling them again. Still no go. I think it has something to do with the monitor settings, like refresh rate.

I'm still having the problem with stuff crashing in KDE when I close it, like KWrite, the KDE splash screen, etc, even when I put settings back to normal.

I'm still searching endlessly for a solutions. Everyone seems to have different answers. You would think, with a bunch of people using Mandrake 10, the same thing would have happened to everyone. Oh well, any more help would be appreciated, but for now I must game in Windows.

update on my driver installation. the fix I used( /sbin/modprobe nvidia) rather sucked. It got me into X but I had to do this every time I rebooted. Then I found I had no open gl support. Today I did some more reading and if I understood it right you need the kernel sources installed prior to installing driver. Something to do with creating headers or something over my head. So, I installed the sources for the 2.6.3-7mdk kernel, uninstalled nvidia driver, changed to runlevel 3, reinstalled NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6106-pkg1.run, brought up X as root and reverted /etc/inittab to runlevel 5, and did required edits to /etc/X11/XFConfig-4, rebooted. Working perfectly now, boots straight into my user GUI, open gl working again. Mind you, it has worked twice now and just quit working after two or three days. If this is my last post on this thread, my problem was no kernel sources installed.

PS all this headache and time because I like the Euphoria Open GL screensavers on kde. I need to get a life.

ps- Gamedev86: I went through about twelve kde crash notifications, actually first one was during kde initialization, then upon closing every single app I used after installing driver. It happened when I booted into my home user, and su'd to change inittab, and XFConfig-4. Upon rebooting, went to verbose, then kde came back with about six of the crash handler screens to kill. But after rebooting after only edits to those to files I have not had any crashes.

Just for the hell of it I did install the kernel sources, still no luck. And some people wonder why people don't switch to Linux--I want to play games, and I, a person of considerable computer skill (still a nub in Linux though), cannot for the life of me install a simple driver, and no one seems to have THE answer. Windows its a simple double-click.

I noticed you edited inittab and run levels and such--what does that mean? Is that the same as pressing ctl-alt-F1 to switch users? Would it make a difference installing.

I'm thinking of switching to a different distro to get the drivers to work. They worked in Suse 9.1 Personal but that is a very limited distro and it has dual boot issues with XP. Maybe I'll steal 9.1 professional. Fedora Core 2 I've heard has things that just don't 'work'. I've had no luck with slackware. Maybe a HD install of Knoppix. Its too bad, I really would have preferred t ostick with MAndrake 10.

gamedev86:
runlevel 5 is what Mandrake normally boots into and starts X server for you.
runlevel 3 boots to command line login without starting X server.
etc/inittab is the file that tells mandrake what runlevel to boot into.
X server must be shut down while you install driver.
ctrl-alt-F1 puts you to a command line login, but if you login, then try to start X it will tell you your X server is already running behind the scenes.
I suppose ctrl-alt-backspace would also kill the Xserver but I thought I would try different methods each time I tried to reinstall nvidia driver.

PDR60- nice link, I like that better than the NVIDIA driver readme, and it shows an easier way of getting into runlevel 3...Thanks

Okay, I broke my GUI and reinstalled nvidia driver, three times this morning. As it turns out, there is a constant. Every single problem I have encountered is on the first reboot following configuring my Happauge bt878 tv tuner card in the control center. I am now back to square one, but have learned an awful lot of stuff along the way with the contibutions to this thread.

So, if anyone is familiar with what is causing "fatal server error - no screens found" with new nvidia driver upon rebooting after configuring my tv tuner card I would welcome some more help.

OK, My problem is SOLVED. While reading other similar posts, I found a fix. 10Mhz suggested that the problem can be solved by adding the line "nvidia" in /etc/modprobe.preload

Works like a charm. I can now say the new nvidia driver is great, stable and recommend it!

I reconfigured my tv tuner card because that is what for me changes something, in that upon rebooting I get no usable screens, and land in terminal login. So there I am same as a dozen times before.

Login as root, fire up nautilus, find /etc/modprobe.preload, open in Kwrite, add the line "nvidia" without the quotations, save, exit reboot, voila, loads into my home x session.

Just to be sure, reconfigure tv tuner card, reboot and for the first time I bypass terminal and have my GUI smiling back at me.

It appears to me everyone having similar problems of nolonger booting into GUI and getting terminal login screen, should add the line "nvidia" to /etc/modprobe.preload, before rebooting and they will have no problems with the new nvidia driver.
Thanks 10Mhz, hope this helps others.